Maycee Barber expected to miss 9 months with ACL tear

UFC flyweight Maycee Barber, one of the promotion's hottest young prospects, is set to be sidelined for nine months after suffering an ACL tear in her left knee, her father told ESPN's Brett Okamoto.

The 21-year-old suffered her first professional loss to Roxanne Modafferi at UFC 246 on Saturday. Barber's camp believes she suffered the ligament injury early in the unanimous-decision loss.

"We think she injured it in the first 10 seconds," said Bucky Barber. "She stepped on Roxanne's foot as she backed up and felt a pop. You can see the knee give out on the side. She went back and started fighting and trying to do things and I noticed she was flat in a way I've never seen before."

Barber will undergo surgery soon, her father added.

Barber was clearly limping in the second round. But a ringside physician told referee Jason Herzog that "she's fine" after diagnosing the flyweight with "a small, partial ACL tear" prior to the final round.

Barber has previously vowed to become the UFC's youngest champion, a record held by Jon Jones, who won the light heavyweight title at 23 years, eight months, and one day.